


A Much Needed Talk

by ByTheLightOfAThousandSuns



Category: Jack West Jr Series - Matthew Reilly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-27
Updated: 2017-04-27
Packaged: 2018-10-24 14:33:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10743654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ByTheLightOfAThousandSuns/pseuds/ByTheLightOfAThousandSuns
Summary: Jack and Stretch have a much needed conversation after the events of the first book.





	A Much Needed Talk

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, the fact that it was never addressed more than once that Stretch was also bugged kind of irritated me. Like a lot of things, Matt set something up but never brought it to a satisfactory conclusion. So I decided to add one in.

The mission was over, thank God. And it had been successful, which was more than Jack had dared hope for when they had first started out. It hadn't been as successful as he would have liked though. They had taken losses, major losses, some of which he didn't think they would recover from fully. Zoe would have to mourn her brother. He and Wizard had to mourn for Doris. The whole team mourned for Noddy, who had been taken from them so quickly and so brutally. So yes, they had won, but it was a win that had cost them all dearly.  
He sat back in his chair, alone in his office, trying not to think too deeply about any of it. He knew that if he did he would find ways around his actions, he would think of things that he could have done differently that might have saved lives. That was something he didn't dare dwell on. Nothing could change what had happened, and trying to think otherwise would only bring misery.  
The knock at his office door was so quiet that he nearly missed it. In fact, it was so faint that for a time he thought that he had been imaging it. But it came again, a gentle knock that almost sounded timid.  
'Come in,' Jack called, a little confused as most members of the team didn't knock before they entered.  
He was surprised when Stretch slipped in through the door, moving softly as he gingerly slid it closed behind him. The whole time he kept his eyes glued on the floor, as if he was refusing to make eye contact with Jack. Sitting back in his chair, Jack watched him curiously.  
'Everything okay buddy?' Jack asked.  
'I came to apologise,' Stretch now seemed very focused a layer of gauze that was wrapped around his wrist, still refusing to look up at Jack.  
'For what? You set fire to the stove or something? 'Cause that would be impressive considering that we don't have a stove,' Jack snorted at his own joke, but Stretch didn't look amused.  
He shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other, looking more nervous and ashamed than Jack had ever seen before. Slowly Jack sat forward, loosing his jovial attitude, 'what's up Stretch?'  
'Back at the gardens, I just...I just want you to know that I didn't mean for that to happen. Avenger and his team, I had no idea that they were coming. I never contacted Mossad. I wanted to tell you then, but you were too angry to listen to me, and if I said anything then Avenger might have killed Lily and I couldn't risk that either,' it seemed that once Stretch started, he couldn't help himself and he blurted everything out in one go, barely stopping to breathe he was in such a rush to explain himself, 'please believe me Jack. I know you must still be mad about it and I don't blame you, but I never did anything intentionally to try to hurt any of you.'  
Jack let him speak, waiting until he was sure that he had finished before he spoke up, 'I'm not mad Ben.'  
The shocked look which crossed Stretch's face was actually quite amusing, 'you're not?'  
'No. I was back in the gardens, but I've had chance to think since then. I know you didn't contact them,' Jack offered him a reassuring smile, 'you can stop looking so scared. I'm not going to kill you over a simple mistake. Especially not a mistake that you've paid for.'  
As he said that Jack eyed the small collection of bruises and cuts, probably a gift left by Kallous or another one of Judah's men. Stretch still didn't look entirely convinced by Jack's reassurances, but at the very least he looked less nervous. Cautiously he sat down on the bench.  
'I should have known about the chip,' he muttered eventually, 'I was so stupid not to realize that they had bugged me.'  
'You and me both,' Jack sighed and sat back heavily, 'speaking of which, I think I owe you an apology actually.'  
One of Stretch's eyebrows arched in question, 'what?'  
'Every time something went wrong, I automatically pinned the blame on you. It was an easy thing to do, but it stopped me from recognizing the part that I played in all of this. I thought that was above it all in many ways, which was a foolish mistake brought on by my own arrogance. So, I'm sorry that I was such a jerk in that regard.'  
Stretch just blinked, not quite seeming to comprehend what exactly was happening. Then he smiled slightly, a smile of both amusement and relief at the fact that Jack wasn't about to kill him out of rage. Jack returned the smile, and all too quickly the tension in the room dropped. Relaxing back, Jack nodded then chuckled softly.  
'Good Lord, your face when you came in here. You looked like you were approaching the executioners block.'  
'I honestly thought that you were going to kill me. You'd always threatened that you would,' Stretch admitted sheepishly and Jack just laughed a little harder.  
'No need to worry about that,' Jack managed to calm himself after a few minutes, 'I think we've cleared the air.'  
'Really?' Stretch looked hopeful.  
'Really,' Jack nodded, 'now why don't you go and catch some sleep with the others. I think we've all earned a week in bed.'  
With a grateful smile, Stretch stood up again and headed to the door. On an after thought he turned back, 'Thanks Jack.'  
Then he was gone, once again leaving Jack alone with his thoughts.

**Author's Note:**

> Short and sweet, considering that I wrote this while at work.


End file.
